Closure and New Beginnings
by moondustxx
Summary: The Originals 5x13 - the way it should have ended. Elijah is dead and Klaus is having a hard time trying to move on. But when the hybrid reenters Caroline Forbes's life almost a year after the events of the final sacrifice, an adventure filled with love, passion and excitement is about to start.
1. Clean Slate

**A/N: So this is my first story. Since the finale of The Originals sucked, I decided to have the audacity to rewrite history!**

 **Disclaimer: I don't own The Originals or any of its characters ... if only I did ...**

 **English is not my mother tongue, so feel free to correct me.**

 **Chapter one - Clean Slate**

Elijah was dead.

The entire time that Klaus had thought _he_ was going to be the one to sacrifice himself, Elijah had been thinking of another ending to their story all along.

What would describe Klaus's feelings best would be the word _guilt_.

Elijah had compelled Caroline's daughters into putting the hollow in him instead of Klaus, which no one had found out due to a loophole in the enchantment that had made everything that had happened possible and that he had found out about with the help of the twins. Neither of them could remember having even interacted with the original vampire at all, thanks to his compulsion.

When Klaus had shown Caroline New Orleans, had said his goodbyes to his family, had planned both of their deaths with Elijah, he had never been meant to be the one to die in the first place. His brother had tricked him, and Klaus couldn't help but feel beaten, and in a way, it also made him feel proud of Elijah.

After Elijah's death and one deadly walk through New Orleans, in which he had chosen to let all of his anger out and had tried not to spare too many lives, he had come back to the place where his brother's ashes had been spread across the street. He had collected as much of it as he could and had gone back to his remaining family.

None of them had known that Elijah was going to pull off this kind of stunt, but that had made everyone even happier to be a witness of the moment when Klaus had reentered his home.

But the happiness hadn't lasted long. Soon after, the realization of the loss of another loved one had crept into their minds and the happy mood had been washed away by pure sadness and its tears. No one had talked, no one had dared to speak that night and no one had slept either.

On the following day, the whole family had come together to bury Elijah's ashes. The more hearts had been broken during the funeral the more beautiful would remain the memories and the legacy of Elijah Mikaelson, whose gravestone said:

 _It's been a glorious ride._

It had taken some time to rebuild New Orleans and erase the remains of a war that had thundered through the city only a short while ago.

Hope had been granted some time off school and had used it to do as much with her family as possible. She had decided to go back to school a month after the day that she had personally chosen to call _the Clean Slate_ , but she still came home every weekend.

Although the weight of Elijah's death had still been lingering heavy upon all of their shoulders, - some had a harder time trying to go on with their lives than others - Klaus had tried to be a good father to Hope and had certainly been that in every way possible, but whenever she hadn't been around, the wolf inside of him took off, and he had spent most of his nights in the woods.

It wasn't until half a year after Elijah's death that Rebekah had told him something that had made everything more bearable, less painful. It had eased his pain only a little, but Klaus had been grateful for everything that could help him.

„I lost him too. You're not alone in this, Nik." That's what Rebekah had said. „You didn't want to die when you decided to sacrifice yourself but Elijah wanted to. You chose to kill yourself because you needed to get your daughter out of harm's way. Elijah didn't want to live any longer. He felt responsible for Hayley's death. The worst part is that no one could have told him that it wasn't his fault and be honest at the same time. Memories or not, he could have prevented it all and he knew that. For him, his life was miserable. He's happy now. He's reunited with Hayley, and he wouldn't want for you to torture yourself with guilt; he wouldn't want for you to be filled with so much pain and anger"

That's when Klaus had started to handle Elijah's death better. He had spent fewer nights in the woods, and New Orleans's population had finally stopped decreasing so drastically.

Somewhere in the back of his head, he had been well aware of the fact that there was still a certain blonde he'd promised to chase after but ever since _the Clean Slate_ , Klaus had never been in the right mood for that.

At least not until Hope had approached him one day with something in her hands that he'd long forgotten.

She had been looking for some new colors in the studio of her father when she'd found a couple of paintings that showed Headmistress Caroline Forbes. The pieces of paper had been held together by a silvery bracelet. The time for Klaus to move on had come.

When she'd shown him what she'd found, he had put the bracelet in his pocket, packed a couple of things without saying anything and told Hope they'd be driving back to Mystic Falls that evening.

And now here they were, standing in front of a clouded Salvatore Boarding School. Students were walking in and out.

„What are you gonna do?", asked Hope, knowing his answer already.

„There is someone who enjoys the chase; someone I've kept waiting long enough." Klaus winked at his daughter and returned her question.

„It's still the weekend so I am gonna live my teenager life." She grinned devilishly and laughed as she saw her dad's dissatisfied look with her answer. „I wish you luck with her.", she said before she hugged him goodbye, knowing this goodbye was meant for a longer period of time.

„Take care, Hope."

„Always." There was a silent _and for_ _ever_ hovering in the air, too painful to be outspoken.


	2. The Offer

**A/N: Thank you so much for your kind reviews! I know exactly what you feel like. The finale was heartbraking, and I've felt sad ever since too. But at least there is something called _denial,_ and that's what I'm gonna do.**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter. I don't know how long this story is going to be, but we'll see. If there is anything in particular that you wanna see Caroline and Klaus go through - I'm open for any suggestions.**

 **Chapter 2 - The Offer**

It was a stormy day in Mystic Falls; one the city's inhabitants had desperately waited for after a hot summer.

Still, that didn't stop the students from going outside and causing trouble or from coming back inside and spreading all the mud from outside across the floor.

Caroline was walking through the hallways when her copies fell out of her hand right in a little mud puddle, which had apparently made its way into the building.

She sighed and threw the pieces of paper into a trashcan nearby. She quickly turned on her heels and went back to her office to get new copies, but on her way there, she bumped right into Hope Mikaelson.

Since _the_ _Clean Slate_ they had grown very close to each another.

Hope thought that she could find something in Caroline that would help her understand her dad's behavior much better. Plus, she had automatically been in need of a female to look up to, and since Rebekah had settled down with Marcel in a smalltown a couple of months ago, Caroline was the closest thing she had to something like that.

Despite being her teacher, Caroline had developed a very close bond to Hope. She supposed that it was because she saw her old self in the youngest Mikaelson.

A girl with no mother. A girl that had grown up without a father. A girl that couldn't understand her fate.

„Oh, I'm sorry!", said Hope quickly.

„No worries.", muttered Caroline confused. „I thought you weren't coming back until tomorrow?"

„Well, dad had some ... business to do." Hope was pretty sure that the headmistress hadn't seen her father yet. She didn't really feel like being a spoilsport, so she just shrugged it off and let herself get carried away by a crowd of other students.

But so did Caroline, and after a few minutes had passed, she found herself back in her office. She went to the printer and started the same process from earlier that day.

After the first copy had come out, her eyes started to examine the room unintentionally. A shining object next to the _Caroline Forbes-Salvatore_ sign on her desk grabbed her attention.

She walked towards the distraction's source and held it up to get a closer look.

Her face went pale. It took her some seconds, but she recognized it. It was the bracelet a certain hybrid had given her on her birthday an awful lot of years ago. She also remembered having thrown it in front of his feet after he'd kept talking about taking her to the fanciest places.

Caroline wasn't quite able to define what feeling was currently spreading out inside of her. The memories and the pain of their parting back in New Orleans flooded her body, and every nerve of hers was shaking.

She couldn't help but let a smile enlighten her face because she knew exactly what finding this bracelet on her desk meant.

Since _the_ _Clean Slate,_ not one day had passed on which she hadn't sacrificed at least a few minutes of her valuable time to think about him; not just in a romantic way, but because his story was too important to be forgotten.

It had almost been a whole year, and the last time she'd talked to Klaus was when he'd called her to inform her that he was still alive. He had also asked her to have patience with him; he had told her that when the right time had come, he'd start with the chase.

Out of a corner of the room Klaus approached her; judging by the heavy footsteps, his way of walking had remained just as confident as it had been the first time Caroline had ever met him.

„Given the current state of the insides of this school, I suppose I'm not crossing a line by saying that you haven't hired a new janitor yet.", he teased her by making a reference to the time she'd labeled him as _Bob, the janitor_ in front of an entire group of students.

Caroline didn't turn around. „Well, there have been replacements.", she provoked him, knowing exactly Klaus would understand the metaphor.

„I see." He sounded kind of beaten, but his ego was back in no second. „You might want to tell me more about the _‚but'_ that lies silently in your statement."

But _no one could compare to the original._

 _Damn this hybrid,_ thought Caroline and let out a single uncontrolled giggle before she turned around, holding the bracelet carefully with her fingers, and raised an eyebrow at Klaus.

She never gave him an answer to his question, but they both knew what it would have sounded like.

„You kept me waiting.", she said instead. For a moment, she could have sworn that it was guilt she saw rush over his face.

„I know." He smiled slightly. „But I am here now. And I have an offer to make."

„Go ahead then."

„Back at your graduation, love, I told you I had two first class tickets to New Orleans in store for both of us." Of course she remembered.

„You wanna take me to New Orleans?"

„I want to take you wherever it is you desire to go."

The times Caroline had thought about _this_ _exact_ moment couldn't even be counted with two hands. She'd always known that some day, Klaus would show up with the same offer from all these years ago, but she would have never thought she'd face this situation unprepared.

The decision should be an easy one to make. She'd talked about this with her daughters; she'd talked about it with Elena and Bonnie. Whereas Elena had seemed a little resistent when it had come to the part where Caroline had actually considered being with Klaus at some point in her life, Bonnie couldn't have been happier for Caroline to have a chance for love.

At the end of the day, both of her friends had wished her nothing but happiness - whether she'd find it with Klaus or someone else.

But the rational part of Caroline - the part that had already stopped her from giving in to Klaus back when she had claimed to hate him with every vein of her body (though pretty much everyone had known the truth) - wasn't quite sure if it was wise to go with him.

Yes, it had surely been easy to kiss him, assuming it would be one of his last moments on earth, but he was here now and more alive than ever. Accepting his offer would mean so much more than just traveling with him. She would have to fully give in to him.

When she'd told him that she would have probably let him chase her for a few more centuries before she'd be ready for him, it had partly been the truth.

But she owed herself this opportunity. Ever since Stefan's passing, she'd never been able to fully recover. The guilt that often threatened to drown her whenever she found herself with another man was too much. With Klaus, it was different. It was different because deep down she'd never forgotten him. Of course she'd rather cut off her own arm than admit that to anyone, especially not to Klaus and not to herself either.

So before Caroline could even reconsider her answer, a ‚ _yes'_ escaped her lips and caused the big smile that crept onto Klaus's face.

„May I?", he asked and took the bracelet away from her so he could fasten it around her wrist.


	3. Young again

**A/N: Again, I can't thank you enough for all the reviews. Knowing people out there wanna read your work really keeps a writer going. So thanks for your support and kind words!**

 **So Klaus and Caroline's journey has finally begun - if there is anything you wanna see them explore, go through or do or if there is any specific interaction between these two that you would have wanted to see on the show then let me know and I'll gladly add it to the story.**

 **Now enjoy!**

Young again

„But there are like more than a dozen destinations, Klaus. How am I supposed to know where we're going?", asked Caroline impatiently while reading what the scoreboard at the airport said.

They had left Mystic Falls the very same night to go directly to the airport.

Only a few minutes ago, Klaus had asked Caroline to guess where they were heading, which was currently causing their long stop at the scoreboard.

„Keep reading, love. I'm sure you'll take the hint.", said Klaus. He was standing right behind Caroline, keeping an eye on both her and their suitcases.

„But I don't -" She inhaled sharply, rereading the scoreboard once more. _Amsterdam, Palma de Mallorca, San Francisco ..._ „Paris?" It came out more like a question than a real statement, also rather doubtfully.

„We have a bucket list, remember?" He smiled, handing her her ticket.

„Paris it is." A broad grin formed on her lips as she took the ticket away from him.

Instead of coming up with another one of his flirtations, Klaus remained silent on their way to the gate.

Busy workers, families with children and many travelers were waiting for the gate to open. Kids were running around, laughing and giggling, and Caroline couldn't help but find a bit of sadness inside of her. Of course, Klaus noticed. He always did.

He'd left for the airport shop a short while ago and came back with some supplies.

„I bought you a bottle of water for the flight, the magazine you asked for - by the way, when you said you wanted a _Cosmopoliton_ , I thought you were talking about a magazine that focuses a bit more on culture rather than on all these different types of vogue -, and I also got you those sweets called Reese's. I saw a good amount of empty wrappers of them in your office. Figured you'd like to have some.", he said while staring at the empty spot next to her.

„Sit down, stranger." She laughed a little at his lost expression and took the purchase away from him. „Thanks, Klaus."

She was more than grateful for Klaus's current behavior. After such a long time of not having been around a man, it felt easy to be with Klaus. It _was_ easy to accept both what and who he was and the feeling that was settling inside of her, but it scared her just as much. Being with Klaus gave her some sort of comfort and thrill at the same time.

„Talk to me, love.", commanded Klaus, forcing her to look at him. „What's the matter?"

„It's - uhm - nothing.", she muttered.

„Deny all you want, but I know when something is ... _off._ I don't want you to feel obligated to share your thoughts with me, Caroline, but be aware that I will always be listening."

It was hard not to tell him when he was being so kind to her. She could see how hard he was trying to do right by her.

„It's just ..." Caroline sighed. „I've been parted with the twins before, but this time is different ... not knowing when I'll see them again. I miss them, that's all, and I'm worried. If you haven't noticed already, they keep causing trouble."

Klaus let out a heavy sigh. He'd seen this coming. „We can go back whenever you want. Just say the word and we'll leave this place the very same instant. I never meant to force you into this, Caroline, so if you happen to have any second thoughts, please let me in on them. If you -"

„Klaus!", Caroline interupted him laughing. „I'm alright. I miss them, yes, just as much as you probably miss Hope, but this one -", she said, meaning their journey. „This one is for us. We owe it to ourselves."

It was as though a heavy rock had left Klaus's chest. The weight on his shoulders was fading. He stared right into Caroline's eyes, wondering if they actually had a chance,

If things would work out for them,

If he could really make good on his promise from all these years ago.

He'd be her last love, no matter what it would take.

After an eight and a half hour flight, the plane finally landed and let its passengers leave for their individual adventures.

But both Klaus and Caroline knew that _their_ adventure was about to be the best.

Outside of the airport Klaus ordered a cab that would bring them to their hotel.

Caroline had been to France a couple of times before, but it had always been for work reasons. She'd never actually been able to explore the great sides of any foreign country she had been at so far.

„Where are we gonna stay?", asked Caroline during their ride in the cab.

Klaus shot her a side glance. „You'll see."

After a long way, which had driven Caroline to the edge of impatience, they finally arrived at the _Ritz,_ a five-star hotel in Paris.

As Klaus carried their luggage to the entrance, it took Caroline a moment to finally accept the fact that he was, in fact, going to treat her like a real queen. All his flirtations had never been mere flirtations but so much more than that.

„Care to join me, love?", he teased her and entered the building only shortly after her.

Astonished by the great lobby, Caroline followed Klaus to the reception.

„Bonjour." The woman said.

„Bonjour." Klaus replied. „Je voudrais réserver deux chambres."

Caroline understood enough French to know what Klaus was saying; he wanted to order her her own room. She smiled to herself, let her fingers intertwine with his and said in a low whisper: „Make it one."

His eyes bore into hers. His expression changed rapidly, completely taken aback by the view he was given and the trust he had finally earned.

„Are you sure?", he asked.

She turned to the receptionist and let go of his hand. „Il veux _un_ chambre."

„La Suite Opéra, s'ils vous plaît.", he added and handed the woman his credit card. „The name's Mikaelson." He never removed his look from Caroline's face. „Niklaus."

Their suite was big, so big that Caroline had to clear her throat before talking.

„This is massive. Klaus, this must be way too expensive!"

„Money, Caroline, should be your last worry at the moment."

One of the walls was covered with big windows that promised a good view, given the fact they were in the sixth story. The room was decorated in an old-fashioned way with antic and rustic furniture. It provided with different areas; bedroom, living room, bathroom etc. The bedroom as its own would have been big enough for an entire lifetime.

Having taken a closer look at their room for a couple of minutes, Caroline let herself fall down on the king-sized bed. She was exhausted and tired. It was already night in France.

Soon after, Klaus entered the bedroom and saw Caroline lying on the bed. She raised the upper part of her body a little and rested on her elbows.

„I was wondering if you'd like to join me for dinner. Last time I've been here, the Ritz's kitchen has proven to be one of the most exquisite ones around here.", he mused, raising his pointing finger to give more meaning to his words.

„As in ... _right now_?"

He nodded, showing off his dimples with a wide grin - which, by the way, had always been hard to resist.

„But I look like - I can't go like this.", she exclaimed, looking down her body.

„What a fortunate thing it is indeed that you brought all your things. Your suitcase is in the living area. I'll see you at the dining hall in thirty minutes."

„Okay.", she said. „Wait - where are you going?"

„There is something I need to do." And then he was gone before Caroline could even open her mouth to say anything else.

As soon as she heard the door to their suite close, she jumped off the bed and opened her suitcase in order to find anything to wear that was appropriate enough for a hotel like this one.

„Oh come on, Caroline.", she whispered desperately while throwing all her clothes around. „I know you put it in there."

There it was. At the bottom of her suitcase, she found a red cocktail dress which she paired with a pair of black shoes.

After a quick shower, she got dressed and put on some makeup. She curled her hair and when she thought she was looking just lovely, she left for the dining hall where Klaus was already awaiting her.

He was wearing a suit that he had certainly not been wearing before he had left half an hour ago.

But if there was one thing that she was certain of - Klaus knew exactly how to look attractive and right now, he was looking not only fine but also handsome as hell.

„When did you get changed?", she asked to refocus her attention.

„Have I not already mentioned that you do look ravishing, love?", he said instead of answering her question and gently placed a kiss on her cheek.

„Well, you don't look so bad yourself."

He offered her his arm and led her into the huge dining hall that looked like it had been made for royalty.

They settled down at a table with a sign that read _Mikaelson_ and ordered their food.

„It's incredible; everything in here is.", she confessed after the waiter had placed the champagne on the table. „Thank you, Klaus."

„I should be the one thanking _you_." He took a sip and smiled slightly. „It's a pleasure to watch you enjoy yourself."

„Maybe." Silence. „Why are you staring at me?"

He raised an eyebrow at that. „Why wouldn't I? You're beautiful, Caroline. And before you judge me, I would like to adress that this is nothing but a matter of fact.", he said as though he was just talking about weather. „It's an opinion I - unfortunately - have to share with all the other men inside this hall that keep glancing at you.", he added in an a low whisper. Clearly, he had no idea what kind of impact he had on her.

„And _you_ certainly haven't lost the ability to make a woman feel special." She also took a sip, knowing she would've turned red if she was still a human.

Looking at him ... it was like their eyes were dancing with one another, daring their opposite to make a next move.

„If it makes you feel any better, love, I don't just want _any_ woman to feel special. I want to make the one feel special that deserves it most." He shrugged.

After they had eaten up, Klaus asked Caroline to follow him and they left the building. He offered her his arm, which she kindly accepted.

„Where are we going now?", she asked, feeling a breeze rush over her body.

„You ask a lot of questions. Why don't we just enjoy each other's company until we get there?" Caroline smiled at those words, taking in his scent. It hadn't changed at all since Mystic Falls. „I'm very glad you chose to come with me, Caroline. I promise you won't regret it."

She decided to let his comment fade into the night and answered with nothing but a look into his eyes and a smile upon her lips.

After a forty-minute walk they finally arrived where they'd been heading.

„The Eiffeltower?" Caroline gasped when she stopped in front of the gigantic construction that gave light to the darkness around them.

„I had the audacity to compel us a tourist-free visit for half an hour. We have thirty minutes until other visitors can come in." He walked towards the entrance, waiting for Caroline to catch up with him. „Come on, love.", he shouted.

Caroline walked towards him, knowing that _this_ was only the beginning of their journey. What was more to come?

They reached the top after a couple of minutes. Caroline was completely taken aback by the view in front of her.

The city was dark but still lit by many buildings and also partly by the Eiffeltower. It was impressive and stunning in every way possible.

„Paris is ..." She smiled brightly and elightened his mood by doing so.

It was a pleasure to watch Caroline jump in happiness. Nothing, not even the busy streets below them, could take his mind off of this exceptional person in front of him. She turned around to enjoy the view once more, knowing it wouldn't take that long until the tourists would come back.

„Extraordinary, amazing." Klaus dared to take a few steps towards her, grinning devilishly. „Genuinely beautiful."

„Yeah, it really is.", she said, gazing at the beauty Paris at night was causing.

„I wasn't talking about the city, Caroline."

„I ..." She turned around and realized how close they were to each other.

Her eyes were full of light and suddenly, Klaus could take a glimpse of the young teenager he had met ages ago.

Before she had any time to reconsider her decision, Caroline leaned in to kiss him, placing her lips on his, feeling a smile grow on her face.

Feeling the butterflies flutter inside of her.

Feeling young again.


End file.
